Pampas Top Knitting Pattern

Pampas Top in Rowan Cotton Trio

What is Being Made

The Pampas Top is a knitted garment designed by Georgia Farrell, available in nine sizes to fit chest measurements ranging from 71-76 cm (28-30 inches) up to 152-157 cm (60-62 inches). This is a wearable knitting project that features a button-front closure and structured shaping through multiple sections that are joined together during construction.

Craft and Technique Overview

This is a knitting project classified at an advanced beginner skill level, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered fundamental techniques and are ready to tackle more complex garment construction. The pattern involves multiple construction stages, including working separate lower sections for the front and back pieces before joining them together, which builds valuable skills in garment assembly and pattern management.

Stitches and Construction Methods

The Pampas Top employs several key knitting techniques and stitches:

• Cable cast-on method is used to establish the foundation stitches for each section, providing a sturdy and elastic edge suitable for garment construction
• Stockinette stitch (st st) forms the primary fabric base, as indicated by the tension measurement taken over stockinette
• Ribbing is incorporated, particularly visible in the button band area where ribbed sections are worked before buttonholes
• Pattern work is maintained throughout the garment, with specific stitch patterns set during the lower sections and continued as stitches are kept correct during subsequent rows
• Yarn overs and knit two together (yfwd, K2tog) create functional buttonholes integrated into the ribbed button band
• Stitch joining techniques are used to seamlessly connect the left front, back, and right front sections by knitting together the final stitches of adjacent pieces

Materials Required

Yarn: Rowan Cotton Trio, a cotton yarn available in 50-gram balls. The pattern is photographed in the colorway Deep 120. Yardage requirements vary by size, with quantities ranging from 5 to 11 balls depending on the finished garment size.

Needles: One pair of 3¼mm (US 3) needles. The pattern notes that for all sizes, knitters may prefer to use a circular needle for working the main body section up to the armholes, working backwards and forwards in rows rather than in rounds, which is a common preference for managing larger stitch counts.

Notions: Three brown wooden concave buttons, 15mm in size (TGB4083 from Textile Garden), which serve as the functional closures for the front button band.

Tension and Fit

The pattern is worked to a tension of 24 stitches and 34 rows over 10 centimeters measured in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct tension is essential for obtaining the intended finished measurements, as the garment is designed with specific chest measurements for each size, including a 3-centimeter button band allowance.